Uncategorized

This Week in Congress Congress returned this week to start the second session of the 119th Congress. The House considered two bills that would limit the Energy Department’s ability to issue household energy efficiency standards: the SHOWER Act (H.R. 4593) would redefine a showerhead relevant to federal water pressure requirements, and the Affordable HOMES Act…

Update: FY26 Appropriations Bills The legislation that ended the government shutdown in November included three FY26 appropriations bills: Agriculture, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction-Veterans Affairs.  Congress has until January 30 to pass the remaining nine appropriations bills or a continuing resolution (CR) that would continue funding those agencies and programs at FY 2025 spending levels.…

Healthcare Votes Continue Before the recess, the House passed the Republican healthcare bill by a vote of 216-211 (Rep. Massie (R-KY) was the only Republican to vote against it; no Democrat voted for it).  The measure is not expected to move in the Senate. Speaker Johnson (R-LA) did not allow Republican moderates to offer an…

ASA Government Relations 2025 Recap As we start the new year and say goodbye to 2025, the American Subcontractor Association (ASA) Government Relations Team would like to provide a brief update on our legislative and regulatory achievements. Despite the challenges faced last year, we are deeply grateful to our Government Relations Committee (GRC) for their…

This Week in Congress Both chambers are scheduled to recess at the end of the week and reconvene in the first full week of January.  In the interim, Happy Holidays! This week, the House voted on several significant bills, including H.R. 498, which would prohibit using Medicaid funding for gender-affirming care for minors. Additionally, the…

The 119th Congress – The House Has Been Unproductive? The House is nearing the end of what appears to be a historically unproductive year. With just 336 roll call votes taken, this year’s total is the lowest in three decades, except for the 2020 session, which was impacted by the onset of Covid-19. By the…

ASA Supports the White House Conference on Small Business Act of 2025 ASA has a long history of supporting the White House Conference on Small Business Act of 2025, which is set to be reintroduced by Reps. Finstad (R-MN) and Davis (D-NC). This legislation aims to reauthorize and amend the White House Conference on Small…

Healthcare Update Monday marked the final day for individuals to enroll in ACA health exchanges for 2026. Congress has yet to reach a consensus on the future path. Enhanced premium tax credits are set to expire at the end of this month, leading to significant premium increases next year. As previously discussed, the key obstacles…

National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Update The House subsequently passed the NDAA by a vote of 312 to 112, with 115 Democrats joining 197 Republicans in voting “aye.” The Senate considered the bill this week. One potential complication involves bipartisan objections led by Sens. Cruz (R-TX) and Cantwell (D-WA) to a provision that reverses safety…

FY26 Appropriations Update Senate leaders continue to face challenges in lifting the Republican holds on a five-bill minibus, which includes appropriations for Commerce-Justice-State, Defense, Interior, Labor-Health and Human Services (Labor-HHS), and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development. As highlighted in a previous Hill Update, some Senators are demanding the removal of the Labor-HHS bill and the elimination…